


The Prince of the MudWings

by Hoarfrost (SomeoneImSure)



Series: Wings of Fire AU Ficlets [2]
Category: Wings of Fire - Tui T. Sutherland
Genre: Alternate Universe, The good ending, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 21:41:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29615829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeoneImSure/pseuds/Hoarfrost
Summary: What if blood eggs were royalty? A rewrite of TDP's Chapter 34. When Clay meets his siblings, they reveal that he's actually a Prince and they decide that he simply has to meet his real father. The Dragonets of Destiny receive a warm reception in the MudWing Kingdom and have a grand royal feast.
Series: Wings of Fire AU Ficlets [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2175840
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	The Prince of the MudWings

_ Have they noticed Glory’s not a real MudWing? _ Clay wondered with a worried glance at the brown RainWing.

The five MudWing dragonets were hovering in the sky, watching them intently. Clay recognized the smallest dragon who had stared at him in the village. 

“We were just leaving,” Clay said to them, hoping to sound nonthreatening and not nervous. 

“We heard you were asking about a blood egg,” said the biggest one, “from Cattail’s hatchings.”

“That’s right,” Glory said.

“Do you know what happened to it?” blurted the smallest MudWing. “Did it hatch? Who came out? Where are they?”

“Who’s asking?” Glory said.

“I’m Reed,” said the largest dragonet. “We’re his sibs.”

“Sibs! Siblings! That’s what everyone keeps talking about.” Clay paused. “Is that what you mean? Were we in the same hatching?”

“I knew it!” yelped the smallest. “I’m Umber! That’s Sora, Peasant, Marsh, and Umber. We’re your sibs!”

“You’re our brother,” said Reed with a grin that warmed Clay to the tips of his claws, “and you’re the Prince.”

_ Prince? _ Clay thought.

“I knew he had a familiar feeling! I told you!” Umber glomped Marsh and nearly knocked him out of the air. “He looks exactly like Prince Alligator!”

“We should take you to meet him,” said Reed. “He’s been looking for you.”

_ My father has been looking for me _ , Clay thought, barely daring to believe it was true.

“What about us?” Glory asked. “Clay has other siblings too, you know.”

Pheasant blinked at her. “Who are you?”

“I’m Glory.”

“That doesn’t sound like a MudWing name,” Pheasant said, suspicious.

Glory shrugged. “I didn’t choose the name.”

“You’re a RainWing,” she declared. “You’re too scrawny to be a MudWing. You can’t be any of the other tribes because none of them are brown or have frills.”

“So what if I am?” Glory asked.

Pheasant grinned. “I knew it!”

“We’re the Dragonets of Destiny,” Clay said in a rush.  _ Please don’t turn them in.  _ “I’m Clay.”

Glory grimaced so hard that Clay could practically hear her saying,  _ Well they know what we are now.  _ Oops.

“You’re the wings of earth,” Reed said in awe. “But where are the others?”

“I don’t remember there being a Wings of Rain in the prophecy,” Pheasant said doubtfully.

“They’re outside the Kingdom,” Clay said, quietly cursing himself, “hiding.”

“You can’t turn them into the SandWings,” Glory said quickly. “They’re our friends.”

“We won’t,” Umber promised. “It’s against the law.”

“Law?” echoed Clay.

“Yes,” Pheasant said, “Prince Alligator passed a law years ago to prevent anyone from hurting the Dragonets of Destiny or turn them over to the SandWings. He knew that you’d be one of them.”

Clay felt a wave of relief and kind of silly.  _ My siblings would never hurt my siblings _ . Except he didn’t know for sure. He didn’t know these dragons like he knew the friends he had grown up with - with the  _ siblings _ he had grown up with. He wanted to trust them but couldn’t bring himself to.

“Then it’s safe for us to bring them here?” Glory said.

“Will there be a feast?” Clay said.

“All the Dragonets of Destiny are welcome,” Umber assured them, grinning. “Queen Moorhen will probably want to meet you all. I’m sure they’ll throw a great feast!”

“The MudWing royal family loves their feasts,” Reed said, grinning. 

“They might be feasting already,” Pheasant said pedantically.

“Buzz kill,” Umber growled playfully.

Pheasant sniffed.

“Well then,” Glory said to Clay, “let’s go get the others and meet the royal MudWing family.”

_ My family _ , thought Clay, feeling excited and nervous all at once.  _ I have a family. _

* * *

The MudWing dragonets led all the Dragonets of Destiny deeper and deeper into MudWing territory. It hadn't taken much to convince them to come along. After what happened in the Kingdom of Sky with Queen Scarlet, the dragonets were relieved to find a Kingdom which was much more welcoming.  


With every mud hut and dragon troop they passed, the farther from the border they grew and the more nervous and overwhelmed Clay felt. He’d never imagined that the MudWing kingdom could be so green and have so much mud. 

“Auntie Cress!” shouted Reed at a small adult MudWing. “Do you know where Prince Alligator is?”

_ Is she a Princess _ , wondered Clay.  _ Should I bow? _

The yellowish brown MudWing blinked at them slowly as she sank deeper into the mud. “Palace, I think. With the rest of the royals.”

“Auntie Cress, these are the Dragonets of Destiny!” blurted Umber. “This is our lost brother, Prince Clay!”

“Prince?” echoed Cress. 

“Hello,” Clay said, giving a friendly wave. 

Cress stared at him, as if searching him for some sign of royalness. Clay certainly didn’t feel royal. Was Cress thinking the same thing? At last, she snorted and sank under the mud. 

“Well, she was nice,” Glory said. 

“Be kind,” hissed Tsunami. “That could have been a Princess.”

“Cress?” Pheasant said. “She’s just Prince Alligator’s half-sibling. They have different fathers. She’s not royalty.”

“Do we have different fathers?” Clay asked.

“Yes,” Pheasant said. “Not all of us do, but we probably have more than two between us.”

“Why?” Sunny asked. “Don’t the parents stay together?”

“MudWings only breed once every twenty years,” Pheasant said patiently. “And only the BigWings of a troop, like Reed or Clay.”

“That’s sad,” Sunny said sympathetically. “What if the others wanted dragonets?”

“I don’t know,” Pheasant confessed with a glance at Marsh. “I don’t know anyone who wanted to.”

“Gross,” Tsunami said, making a disgusted face. “I hope SeaWings don’t have a breeding season.”

“Not everyone participates in a breeding season,” Pheasant snipped, harrumphing.

They all suddenly fell silent as the swamp around them suddenly began changing. Massive trees curved towards each other, creating a thick leafy canopy made of branches twining together. The entire floor of the marsh had been replaced with large slabs of stone, each as long and wide as the tallest trees. Everywhere, short stone tables surrounded by cushions were filled with MudWings busily eating. At the center, a stone throne that looked like a tiara with a round cushion in it was filled with a single massive MudWing with a golden medallion around her neck.

Reed suddenly shouted. “Prince Alligator!”

A massive dark MudWing sitting close to the throne looked up curiously at the shout and threw himself into the air at the sight of the approaching dragonets. 

“REED!” he boomed, rapidly closing the gap between them. “What are you doing here?”

“We found Clay!” Reed said. “He’s that blood egg you were looking for.”

Clay had never seen a dragon so large before. His father had a dark underbelly with brown scales along his back and face. The big dragon studied Clay just as thoroughly as Clay studied him, his eyes squinting. _ Does he have bad eyesight? _ Clay swallowed nervously.  _ I hope he likes me. _

“Prince Clay,” the big dragon boomed, relaxing. “It’s good to meet you, my son!”

My son. Clay felt like his whole world was tilting.

“Welcome, Dragonets of Destiny!” continued Prince Alligator loud enough that the rest of the eating hall felt like it had fallen silent. “All of the MudWing Kingdom has been expecting your arrival! The Queen has been dying to meet you.” He smiled. “Figuratively, of course.”

“About time!” growled Tsunami. 

“Can we eat?” Sunny asked.

“Why wouldn’t you?” Prince Alligator looked genuinely confused. “It would be rude to deny our guests a seat. Reed, you and your siblings can go sit with Swamp.”

“Yes, Uncle,” said Reed, leading his winglet away.

Prince Alligator looked at each of the Dragonets of Destiny. “Come. There are seats waiting for you at the royal table. Afterwards, her majesty will speak with you.” He grinned. “It’s bad manners to talk on an empty stomach.”

Clay felt dazed as he followed his father to the Queen’s table. The dragon in the throne blinked at them as they neared. On her head, she had a golden crown with a red ruby in its center with the gold wrapped around her horns, keeping it secure. 

“Prince Alligator,” said Queen Moorhen. “Are you sure these are the Dragonets of Destiny? Where are their Wings of Sky?”

“It’s a long story,” Clay said. 

“Queen Scarlet killed them all,” Tsunami said bluntly.

“Queen Moorhen,” began Starflight with a deep bow. “Thank you for bringing us to your table.”

“You are not strangers here,” said Queen Moorhen. “You are my brother’s children.”

“We’re not related,” Glory said, exasperated.

Queen Moorhen locked her wing claws together. “The BigWing bond makes you siblings regardless of your blood. Welcome, Dragonets of Destiny, to the MudWing Kingdom. Please take a seat.”

Prince Alligator squeezed back into his spot and gently pushed away the smaller MudWing next to him. “Prince Clay,” he bellowed, “join me here and try this cow.”

Clay felt very small as he squeezed into his spot even though the other MudWing had scooted down. Alligator hooked his massive claws into the largest cow on the table and flipped it onto the empty spot in front of Clay.

“You’re small,” Alligator said disapprovingly. “You need more food if you want to be big and strong like me.”

“Thanks,” Clay said, “Dad.” It felt strange and right to finally use that word. 

Alligator bit through the hide of a pig. His mouth was so big that it looked like he’d almost swallowed the wild boar whole. He licked his lips loudly. “Have you met your mother yet?”

“Yes,” said Clay. “She, uh, didn’t really want to see me.”

“Typical,” growled Prince Alligator. “If I had known, I would never have chosen her.”

“You chose her?”

Alligator nodded and tossed away a clean bone. “Princes are only allowed to mate with one female in their entire lifetime.” He paused. “You have a lot to learn, my son. Even Asha does not know all the royal family secrets.”

“I never met Asha,” Clay said. “She died before I hatched.”

Alligator paused, his brow knitting as he struggled to digest this. “She’s dead?” He frowned down at the table. “A shame. She was special. If possible, I would have chosen her to be your mother.”

“Really? What was she like?”

“Special,” said Alligator softly. “But she was not a BigWing.”

Clay frowned. “Why do BigWings only mate?”

“Instinct,” Alligator said with a sigh. “After the war, I will have to teach you how to be a proper Prince. You’ll need to know all of the royal secrets. Queen Moorhen won’t allow you to act as her representative in the future otherwise.”

Clay looked over at the big dragon. “Is she my grandmother?”

“She’s your great-aunt,” Alligator said before stabbing Clay’s cow. “Now eat your food. I can’t have you being smaller than my youngest brother. It would look bad for the royal family.” 

Clay burned with more questions but the smell of meat juice reminded him that he really was hungry.  _ I want to have a feast every day.  _ As he tore off a chunk of juicy flesh, he looked around.

The other Dragonets of Destiny had been squeezed between MudWing royalty and were busying trying to act like they were eating. Tsunami practically devoured anything in front of her like it was some great challenge. Starflight made sure to eat small bites and look like he was eating more than he was as one of the smaller royals kept giving him a sideways glance as if checking to make sure he ate. 

“I like it here,” Clay said quietly.

Alligator paused long enough to wrap a wing around Clay and squeeze. It was a light, quick squeeze but Clay still felt the air rush out of him. Prince Alligator smiled. “I hope you survive the war, my son. There is so much I want to show you.” He laughed. “So much food to share! I’ll have to teach you how to cook, too. You can’t be a real MudWing unless you’ve cooked your first real broth! My specialty is beef’n’bits. I’ll even tell you my secret ingredient one day.”

A loud gong noise echoed throughout the dining hall and immediately the MudWings launched themselves in the air, leaving behind whatever remained of the food. Clay tried to take a turkey off the table but Prince Alligator snatched it away and threw it down the table. 

“We only eat during meal times in the royal family,” Prince Alligator explained. “Leave these for the royal cooks.”

Queen Moorhen rose and spread her dark wings, watching as MudWings filled the air and rushed out. Clay saw glimpses Reed and his siblings among them. Umber waved at him and Clay smiled and waved back. Eventually, only those at the Queen’s table were left behind.

“Dragonets of Destiny,” called Queen Moorhen. She had her front claws on the table and had spread her wings. “I thank you for coming here. The MudWing Kingdom will always welcome you.”

“We thank you for your generosity,” Starflight said, bowing his head. “The food was delicious.”

“Thank you, polite NightWing.” Queen Moorhen stood up. “Now dragonets, please tell us who you’ve chosen to be the SandWing queen.”

_ Oh no _ , Clay thought in alarm.  _ We don’t know that yet _ . 

“Uhm,” he began, helplessly. 

“Not Burn,” Tsunami said. 

“Oh definitely not,” Sunny said.

“We mean,” Starflight said hurriedly, “we haven’t met the other Princess yet so we cannot make a full assessment-”

“You do not like Burn,” Queen Moorhen said simply with a quiet huff. “Neither do we.”

“She tried to kill us,” Glory growled. 

“Who would you suggest?” Clay asked quickly. 

Queen Moorhen glanced at the dragons around her. “The prophecy says you will decide. Eventually. Maybe in a year’s time. You are much too young yet.” She touched the medallion around her neck and lifted it off. “Prince Clay, come here.”

Clay glanced around and realized everyone was watching him expectantly. A part of him still expected her to be referring to someone else - someone who actually felt like a Prince. He stood up and approached her cautiously.

Moorhen dropped the medallion around his neck and it thudded solidly against his chest. “This is the royal MudWing medallion. Any MudWing who sees it will know who you are and obey you. It will keep you and your troop safe while you figure out which SandWing Princess to choose.”

Clay held the medallion in his talons, just feeling the weight of the gold and the massive ruby. “Thank you,” he breathed. 

“Good luck on your journeys, Dragonets,” Queen Moorhen said. She spread her wings and her voice boomed. “Bring peace to us all!”

She lowered her voice. “Don’t forget to bring it back when you’re done, nephew. That necklace is not meant to be worn outside of the Kingdom, but I am making the exception because of the war.”

Clay nodded, feeling warm from his tail to his nose. “Thank you, Auntie. We’ll do everything we can to end the war. I promise!”


End file.
